Conventional ear coverings, aimed primarily at the protection of a wearer's ears in cold weather, comprise a plastic insert having an oval opening for introducing an ear, and a cloth covering stitched along the periphery of the plastic insert as well as at the rim of the oval opening. Precision sewing is required in order to stitch the conventional ear covering, and consequently, a high degree of sewing skill is needed. In addition, in the conventional ear covering, the seams along the periphery of the insert are visible on the outside unless additional measures are taken, such as covering the seam with a bias tape and stitching the bias tape.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,055,672, dated May 2, 2000, discloses an ear covering comprising outer and inner layers, and a cup-shaped plastic insert. This ear covering is produced by first stitching together outer and inner cloth layers placed facing one another. The insert is subsequently provided on the inner cloth layer. Then, a straight slit is cut out in the inner cloth layer, and the cut edges of the slit are turned through the opening of the insert and adhered to the other side of the rim of the insert opening. The manufacturing process is completed by turning the outer cloth layer and the inner layer together with the insert adhered thereon through the insert opening. With this manufacturing method, there is no need to stitch the cloth along the periphery of the insert and the rim of the opening of the insert, and consequently the sewing process is accelerated. In addition, since the stitching along the periphery is hidden inside the ear covering, hemming along the periphery is not required. However, since the cut edges of the inner cloth layer, which are turned through the opening of the insert, are adhered to the insert along the rim of the insert opening, the insert is mostly bare inside of the covering except at the covered rim. Therefore, the wearer's ear may come into direct contact with the bare plastic insert, causing an unpleasant sensation. Moreover, the insulating effect of the ear covering is impaired when the wearer's ear is in direct contact with the bare plastic insert. In addition, after the ear covering is used over a long time, the inner cloth layer may become detached from the insert, and the adhesive agent may come into contact with the wearer's ear. Moreover, although the sewing process is speeded up, the process requires the additional step of adhering the cut edges of the inner cloth layer to the rim of the insert opening. Consequently the manufacturing process is not significantly simplified when compared with the process used in the manufacture of conventional ear coverings.
An object of this invention is to provide an ear covering and manufacturing method where the seams are hidden inside the ear covering, where direct contact between the user's ear and the plastic insert is avoided, where excellent heat insulation and protection are provided, and where the manufacturing process is significantly simplified.